Tag Archives: Good Friday

The Power of Stillness

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Jesus has been arrested and falsely accused. The high council’s next step is to send him to Pilate. As Pilate interrogates Jesus, Christ refuses to strike back. He refuses to plead his innocence before his accusers. Instead, Jesus displays the power of stillness.

Very early in the morning the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law—the entire high council—met to discuss their next step. They bound Jesus, led him away, and took him to Pilate the Roman governor.

Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

When the leading priests kept accusing Jesus of many crimes, Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer them? What about all these charges they are bringing against you?”

But Jesus said nothing. Much to Pilate’s surprise.

Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner—anyone the people requested. One of the prisoners at that time was Barabbas, a revolutionary who committed murder in an uprising.

The crowd went to Pilate and asked him to release a prisoner as usual.

“Would you like me to release to you this ‘King of the Jews’?” Pilate asked. (For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.)

But at this point the leading priests stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus.

Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”

They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

“Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”

But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

(Mark 15:1-15 NLT)

The day when Jesus stood alone

And felt the hearts of men like stone,

And knew He came but to atone–

That day “He held His peace.”

They witnessed falsely to His word,

They bound Him with a cruel cord,

And mockingly proclaimed Him Lord;

“But Jesus held His peace.”

They spat upon Him in the face,

They dragged Him on from place to place,

They heaped upon Him all disgrace;

“But Jesus held His peace.”

My friend, have you from far much less,

With rage, which you called righteousness,

Resented slights with great distress?

Your Savior “held His peace.”

Taken from Streams in the Desert

The power of stillness.

Oh, that I practiced it to a greater measure than I do and let God answer on my behalf.

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But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. Mark 15:3 (NIV)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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You can find my April Inspire a Fire post here. Please stop by and read it.

The Day Jesus Died

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courtesy pixabayby Sandy Kirby Quandt

We’ve heard the story. We’ve analyzed the motives. We’ve memorized the words.

On the day Jesus Christ, the Messiah, was nailed to a cross and died for the sins of all mankind, and paid the penalty for a debt he did not owe, two thieves hung on either side of him.

One thief mocked Jesus, saying if he were indeed the Messiah, he should get himself down from the cross and spare the lives of the two hanging on either side of him while he was at it. His taunting showed his heart. It showed his unbelief. It showed his eternal destination.

The other thief had a different attitude toward Christ.

He recognized Jesus for who he truly was. The Son of God. And he trembled.

This thief knew he deserved the death penalty for the sins he committed. He didn’t try to courtesy pixabayweasel his way out of the punishment due him.

He also knew Christ was innocent and did not deserve to die a horribly wretched death on the Roman instrument of cruel inhumane punishment.

This thief humbly asked Jesus to remember him once Jesus went into his heavenly kingdom.

Jesus allowed himself to be sacrificed so you and I could understand how deep, how wide, and how strong his love for us is. It’s personal. Christ had each and every one of us in his thoughts and on his heart when he became the Sacrificial Lamb. Our face ran through his mind as he breathed his last breath.

We have a choice, you know.

We can be like the first thief.

Mock Jesus, make fun of him, and refuse his sacrifice.

Or we can be like the second thief.

Acknowledge the fact we are sinners who deserve to die for our sins, who are in great need of a Savior, and in humble gratitude give of our best to the Master.

However that manifests itself in our lives.

courtesy pixabay

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One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”

But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:39-43 (NLT)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Glory Hallelujah He Reigns!!!

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By Sandy Kirby Quandt

Tomorrow is the day celebrated as Good Friday. The day God’s son, Jesus the Christ, willingly laid his life on the cross of Calvary to save sinners like me, like you, from a world of darkness at the hand of Satan.

No one took Jesus’ life from him. He gave it up. He took the sins of the world upon his perfect, sinless self to save us from the wrath we so deserve from his Father, God, the Righteous Judge. Jesus suffered so we wouldn’t have to.

It has been said it wasn’t nails that held Jesus to the cross. No. It was his love for us.

Jesus paid the price we owed for our sins but could never pay. In return for his gift of grace, he asks us to believe and confess he is God’s son, the Savior who died for us and is preparing a place for us to live with him eternally in heaven. When we truly believe and trust he is our Lord and Savior, we’ll repent, turn from our sins, and follow the life Jesus wants for us. We’ll go and tell others so they can believe, too.

That Friday all those years ago, did not seem very good at all until Resurrection Sunday dawned, and the tomb where Jesus’ body had been laid was empty. Just as he foretold, he rose to life again.

Death could not hold him. Satan could not hold him. Our sin could not hold him. And hell itself could not hold him.

Glory Hallelujah He Reigns now and forever! And because Christ reigns, all the powers of hell itself tremble. For they know their defeat is sure.

Praise God!

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With a loud cry Jesus died. The curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The army officer who was standing there in front of the cross saw how Jesus had died. “This man was really the Son of God!” he said. Mark 15:37-39 (GNT)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Christ Conquered Death

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Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin’s every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection.

We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us.

From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did. Romans 6:9-11 (MSG)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Pierced For Our Transgressions

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This past Sunday, Palm Sunday, we celebrated Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Crowds lined the road. They shouted out their hosannas and praises, as Jesus passed by. Yet, within five short days, those praises turned to condemnation.

Crucify him! Crucify him! Crucify him!

Although Pilate could find no wrong in Jesus, he capitulated to the crowd’s demands. Pilate handed Christ over to be murdered. After that, Pilate washed his hands of Christ’s innocent blood.

Jesus was the sacrificial Lamb of God. He took the punishment mankind’s sins deserved, upon himself. His sacrifice allows us entrance into the very presence of God. By Jesus Christ’s suffering and death, our sins were forgiven.

When we were unable to help ourselves, at the right time, Christ died for us, although we were living against God. Very few people will die to save the life of someone else. Although perhaps for a good person someone might possibly die. But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners. So through Christ we will surely be saved from God’s anger, because we have been made right with God by the blood of Christ’s death. While we were God’s enemies, he made us his friends through the death of his Son. Surely, now that we are his friends, he will save us through his Son’s life. And not only that, but now we are also very happy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we are now God’s friends again. Romans 5:6-11 New Century Version

A trauma surgeon medically describes the effect crucifixion would have on the human body, in this video by Central Christian Church, in Wichita, KS.

He who knew no sin, took on the sins of the world, that by His wounds, we can be healed. Perfect Love.

I wish you well.

Sandy

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